Friday, June 15, 2012

Self Publishing Company Reviews

I’m a new out of the closet
writer that would like to share what I have learned and experienced in regards
to searching for Self-Publishing Companies and how to go about choosing
the right one. When I first started to search for the most affordable Self-Publishing
Company, I had no idea how tedious and time consuming it could be. Whenever
I go to Google and do a search using keywords like, “Self-Publishing Company”,
I get tons of information in regards to various companies that made choosing
even more difficult. So I started to research the various companies that
appeared on the first and second page of Google search results. I started
off by using the keywords “name of company” + “reviews” or “(name of company) reviews”
in Google. As an example I would type in “Raider Publishing reviews”. As
I began to read through the reviews for each company, I started noticing how
all of the companies had at least one bad review, which I will be
listing in my blog along with their prices as they come available. Some of the
companies require the author to contact them to get more information in
order to get a better idea of what package deal best fits their needs
and budget.

Just to clarify with everyone, I
would like to stay anonymous on this blog simply to avoid animosity from any of
the Publishing Companies mentioned in my blog. I’m going to be as bias
as I possibly can be to make it fair to all the companies I will mention to
help allow the readers in making a decision of their own. This blog is simply a
tool to get you started and to give you an idea of what you will be facing as
you go on your journey searching for the right Publishing Company that
best fits your needs.

So continuing with my learning
experience, I’ve also noticed how some of the companies that had the least
amount of negative reviews, were the companies that had the best web
analytics and SEO tactics. For those of you that do not understand
the terms, in short, they were smarter about their marketing strategy online
and were able to push back the bad reviews or hide the bad
reviews further down the search engine search results. These companies are
aware that we are lazy by nature. So when an author or consumer
is searching for information, they are usually in a hurry and would only browse
through the first or second page of the search results. So with that in mind,
the big question is still left unanswered! “How do I choose the right Publishing
Company that best fits my needs and BUDGET?” To simply put things in
perspective, it all depends on your needs and mainly, BUDGET! Of course I would
still recommend you take the reviews into consideration. If you’re reading a
review where an author had experiences with misrepresentation, false
number of sales, or any issues that is liable for action suite then obviously
that is a red flag for that specific Publishing Company. Now of course
we are all aware that we can’t please everyone so how much more for the
companies out there?

As I read through some of the reviews
about the companies listed in my blog I’ve started to notice how ridiculous we
authors can be at times! I strongly believe in the freedom of speech and I
openly practice my rights to do so. But c’mon ladies and gentleman, let us all
try to be as fair as you would want your critics to be about your next novel
or autobiography.

We should all be aware by now how
some companies have chosen to outsource some of their job task just to
keep up with our dropping economy. Looking at it from a business point of view,
would you rather pay an employee $2000 a month when you can pay someone else
that can do the same job for only $500 a month? Yes, their grammar and accent
can be hilarious at times but can we really hold that against them? For the
most of us, we have had the privilege of taking up a secondary language like
French or Spanish in High School or Junior High. Can you still remember how
ridiculous the most of us sound when trying to pick up a secondary language?
When taking that into consideration I would have to give most of these
consultants I’ve spoken with from various countries a lot of respect.
Considering it is only their secondary language, I would have to say they are
able to handle themselves very well over the phone. Besides, you’re the author,
not them. They are not expected to proof read your next novel or autobiography.
Although some of these companies do offer that service, for sure it will
not be the consultant you’re speaking with that will be assigned to do the proof
reading. They are simply a mediate tool you can take advantage of in
reaching your primary goal. Which is to get your ideas or novel out to
the public with the least amount of effort and cost?

To summarize my thoughts on how
to go about choosing the right Publishing Company for you, I would
recommend everyone to take the time in finding out more about the company you
will be working with and to try to keep an open mind in the process. Don’t
judge the book by its cover! That is so cliché! Below is the list of companies
I’ve found in Google along with price range for most of them. Take time to read
the negative and positive reviews. So before making your decision, make
sure you clarify your expectations and ask the right questions! As for myself, I
chose the most affordable Publishing Company that was able to meet my
basic needs since I am a first time writer. And no, I did not choose Raider Publishing!